Day 26 —  Won’t you read the Bible with me this year?   It only takes a few minutes.  (You can also listen to an audio recording.)

Day 26 – Genesis 41 – 42 – (Joseph & Pharoah’s dreams, Joseph meets 10 brothers)

It’s been TWO LONG YEARS since Joseph asked the Wine Steward to remember him to Pharoah. Finally in chapter 41 he remembers! His boss has had a couple disturbing dreams about cows and corn, and the court “soothsayers” can’t interpret them. What to do??

“Oh, yeah!” says the steward, thunking his head. “I remember a Hebrew slave in prison.  He can do it.”

They send for Joseph, and they bring him out of “the pit.” He shaves himself (Egyptians like smooth cheeks and bald heads), changes his clothes and presents himself to the king of the land.  He reminds Pharoah that ONLY GOD can interpret dreams and that He will give the king an answer.

Pharoah tells his weird dreams – seven fat cows are eaten up by seven skinny cows, who got no fatter. And then seven ears of corn growing on one stalk (amazing, usualy only 2-3) are swallowed by seven withered, thin, and blighted ears. (I see a theme here….)

God reveals the meaning of the dreams to Pharoah through Joseph. Seven years of amazing plenty in Egypt, followed by seven years of severe famine. And…. “God will shortly bring it about.”  Yikes!  But our wise, enslaved-for-13-years, Hebrew lad has a suggestion: Choose a discerning & wise man to oversee the land. Collect 20% of all the crops for seven years and store it away for the time of famine, so that Egypt won’t starve to death.

Wahoo!!  Guess who Pharoah picks and sets up in Egypt as vice-ruler, second in command only to the king? He gives Joseph a signet ring for sealing documents, garments of fine linen (watch those fancy coats, Joseph!), a gold necklace, and the second (flashiest) chariot in the garage. (This is basically what Potipher and the prison keeper did to Joseph, but to a much greater scale.God was certainly with him.)

Joseph also got a new name, and at 30-years-of-age, he was given a wife who bore him two sons – Ephraim & Manassah. (Recognize these??)

Joseph collected the required Federal cut of grain each year, built storehouses for it, and socked it away. Then came the severe famine. Joseph opened the storehouses and SOLD the grain to the people.  People from other countries came to Egypt looking for food, and Joseph SOLD it to them, enriching Egypt’s coffers.

Chapter 42 flashes back to Canaan where Jacob, his 11 sons and all their families began to feel the pinch. “Go down to Egypt and buy some grain so we don’t die!” demanded Jacob to his TEN sons. No way was he sending Benjamin, the only remaining son of his “wife” Rachel. (The “boy” was probably in his early twenties then.) They took money and began a trip that their great grandfather had made several hundred years before.

Joseph is shocked to see his ten brothers seeking food and bowing down before him. (Flash back to his own dreams when he was a boy.)  He counts and sees only 10 brothers.  Have they done away with his full brother Benjamin too?

Thinking quickly, he calls them SPIES and quizzes them about their father and the other boy. To further shake them up, he puts them in jail for three days. They groan and wail that this was their punishment for what they did to their brother, Joseph. They do not know that this Egyptian ruler can understand Hebrew.  Their words and sorrowful guilt after all these years touches Joseph and he cries.

Then with his commander face back on, he tells them he will let them take the grain, but they will get NO MORE unless they bring their younger brother with them next time. And as further incentive, he keeps Simeon in jail as collateral.

The NINE brothers return home and tell Jacob/Israel what happened (including the fact that all their money bags were found back inside the grain bags.

“NOooooooooooo!” wails their father. “You will NOT take Benjamin. He is the only son I have left.” (huh?) Reuben – probably glad the ruler took Simeon and not HIM – offers to keep Benjamin safe, saying Jacob could kill his own two sons if harm comes to him.  WHAT??  Are you kookoo, Reuben? Kill two of Jacob’s grandsons!!  Sheesh.

It doesn’t matter. Jacob absolutely REFUSES to send his “only” son to Egypt.

(We’ll see about that. Hunger causes desperation.)